Of Restaurant Signs And Dogs
by Lunedd
Summary: Based on the prompt Cubit2 posted in the DWOCD Support Group (yes, I couldn't resist): Danny to Steve: "You named your dog after my father?"


**A/N:** Based on the prompt Cubit2 posted in the DWOCD Support Group (yes, I couldn't resist): **Danny to Steve:** _ **"You named your dog after my father?!"**_

 **A/N 2:** No, I don't know the origin of Scott's injury; and I certainly do not wish him any harm (of course not!). Since the writers seem to have added it to the show as an injury for Danny (as they did with his torn ACL in season 1), I took the freedom to use it, too. I never meant to be disrespectful!

 **A/N 3:** I'm just using the playground called H50 that CBS has provided us with – none if it is mine, and I certainly have no commercial benefit whatsoever.

 **A/N 4:** Beta'ed by the wonderful SailorJP. If there are still mistakes, they're all mine!

* * *

"Seriously, Steven? Why would a sane person do something like that?" Danny propped himself up on his good elbow, only to be pushed back on the gurney by Steve.

"Seriously, Daniel? Why on earth do you want to have this conversation right _now_?" Steve glared at the paramedic that tried to keep him from jumping into the ambulance to accompany Danny to the hospital – and then at Danny who tried to sit up again.

"Because it's my arm that hurts and not my mouth," Danny retorted sharper than intended. The pain in his arm made him fidgety and cranky.

"You should have dropped the sign instead of clinging to it," Steve offered.

"This is not helpful!" Danny hissed when the medic moved his arm to fix it at his side. "Do you know how much that thing costs? Well, of course you know, who am I talking to? _You paid half of it_!"

"Yeah, but it's not worth as much as your health is!" Steve was beginning to lose his patience now, too.

"Ah, well, now you're worried about my health? Why not some twenty minutes ago when you had to tell me which name you gave to your new dog? While I was concentrating on the difficult, tricky task of holding the sign of "Steve's" – _my_ restaurant that I liberallyand in a weak moment of affection named after _you_ , I feel the need to add at this point – literally hanging headfirst off the roof so you, my friend, could attach it to the building? Huh?"

"But… you wanted to know the name!" Steve flailed about in an almost danny-esque way.

"I asked that question _three hours ago_ , Steven! But as always, you chose the worst moment ever to finally bring me into the loop!"

The ambulance arrived at The Queen's Medical Center, saving Steve from answering.

**H50**

After a thorough examination – including ultrasound and MRI – Danny was diagnosed with a torn biceps tendon in his left arm that had been abruptly forced to hold the whole weight of the heavy restaurant sign when it slipped from his right hand.

Danny was lying in a hospital bed; his left arm was bandaged at the elbow to ease the pressure from the brace that encased his arm from the wrist to the middle of his upper arm and was locked in an almost 90 degree angle. This way he wasn't able to move the elbow and the torn tendon would get the much needed rest to be able to heal. The doctor was positive that it wouldn't need surgery as long as Danny stuck to his instructions: "No moving of the elbow whatsoever!"

Steve squeezed his long frame onto one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs that had been brought by a kind nurse and waited for Danny to wake up. They had given him heavy pain killers that had knocked him out in the middle of the doctor's instructions.

For the first time since Danny almost fell off the roof – and kept clinging stubbornly to the stupid sign – Steve had time to think. He had wanted to take Danny's mind off the last case that had been gruesome – and what could have been a better distraction than working on the restaurant?

 _"You named your dog after my father?!"_

He still could hear the disbelief in Danny's voice when he told him that the dog's name would be Eddie. The name had sounded familiar to him, was short and catchy, and he had deemed it the perfect name for his new companion. Well, now he remembered why the name was so familiar to him…

"I'm sorry, Danny", he started, although his friend was still fast asleep. "I really, really didn't want to insult you or your Dad. But now that I think about it - the name _is_ a good choice. You're my best friend; and your father is one of the people who helped shaping you into the great person you are today. Besides, he's a hero - as a firefighter he has saved countless lives. So - there's no better name for the dog."

Steve was staring at his hands, so he didn't notice that Danny's eyes had slowly opened. Listening to Steve's explanation, a small smile appeared on Danny's face before he dozed off again.


End file.
